How can they describe Alan Scott as a major and iconic character? He has been a minor character the longest time and he's definitely not iconic.
Iconic characters are recognized outside of the comic book nerd herd, Superman, Batman, Robin, The Joker etc. are iconic DC characters, Alan Scott is on "Is he the iconic characters boyfriend?" level as far as the public is concerned.

DC really screwed this one up, it would have been fine if they hadn't drummed up interest by doing a press release, but you can't do that and than reveal it's Alan Scott, the guy who exists in another universe.
One million moms made a big stink about it, right now I bet they're scratching one million heads thinking "Who?!

If DC had balls they would have picked someone at least slightly recognizable like Superboy.

Click to expand...

All true! Especially the "iconic" part, and I get tired of it's continual misuse, especially by fanboys who like old characters.

But yeah, I'm sure there's a collective "WHO?!?!" Going on in non-comic circles right now.

Oddly enough, neither CBR or Newsarama have updated their pages as of 3pm Central time with this news.

Well now that the seemingly non-daring non-news has broken back to our regularly scheduled nu52 discussions or am I the only bored by this "big news"?

In my pickups this week:

I,Vampire #9 - I continue to enjoy this series upon trying the characters brand new with the relaunch. The first #1-3 issues were a bit slow but the pace and story since then has risen. Ruling the NAm vampire army in Utah was a good read this week. Andrew's overture that you can leave if you fight me was a challenge quickly taken up by Mary. Should be an interesting next issue since the prior Andrew v Mary fight was interrupted by Cain in the first story arc. However, it appears that the Van Helsings are likely to interrupt this fight based on the issues conclusion.

Justice League Dark #9 - Hot damn this title has taken off. This one issue was as enjoyable as the first 3-4 issues. The title also took off slow but has gotten better from that point. I'm not reading WW, has Steve Trevor shown up over there? Is this issue his first reappearance in the nu52? I like how Constantine called him "the Amazon's boytoy"! The stoic stare by Steve was great! It's also the first time a member of the team hears the actual words 'Justice League Dark', I await the others to hear the term coined upon them by Argus. Who is this Black Orchid? Is she Abbey from Samp Thing? That was a rumor. I like how Andrew is tied in to this version of the "team" by Constantine after the I,Vamp&JLD crossover last issue. And they mention how Andrew needs to 'get back to his army'.

Justice League Dark is definitely back on the list. More Vertigoey goodness, and Steve Trevor crossing over from the regular Justice League title. I won't give away the ending, but the throwaway appearance of Destiny's Dreamstone: is this the first time we've seen it since Morpheus destroyed it?

Justice League Dark is definitely back on the list. More Vertigoey goodness, and Steve Trevor crossing over from the regular Justice League title. I won't give away the ending, but the throwaway appearance of Destiny's Dreamstone: is this the first time we've seen it since Morpheus destroyed it?

So the new major gay character is one limited to an alternative universe? Way to go, DC! Way to take a stand!

Click to expand...

And to make matters 'worse,' this is arguably a retread of what Marvel did with Ultimate Spidey

Click to expand...

That's true.

On another somewhat related note: Earth 2, just from the first issue is one of the more interesting books to me in the nu52. I like having a single book that might be telling lots of different stories, following lots of other people that's not a "team" book. (though I'm sure they will all form a team at one point.)

I glazed over reading Earrth 2. It was sure pretty, but there was something about it that just felt the same... I didn't come out of my funk till half way through Worlds finest when i realized that the girls had swapped Earths, and i love all that Shakespearian shit when they play three card Monte with secret identity.

Damian is going to be super pissed at this girl stealing his Thunder.

Before that I pummelled through 9 curious issues of Supergirl this evening.

Wow.

I've almost forgotten what a winy useless sack of piss Kara was on Smallville.

That's a really good question. Several titles I'm reading seem to be making oblique references, but they could be implying that the series didn't happen as much as it implies that it did. They made sucha fuss about Death appearing in Action's Luthor run that I thought perhaps it still counted as preliminary to the full merging that took place in Flashpoint.

But from the viewpoint of OUR universe, I wonder if we as readers have seen it since in the "regular" universe. Sandman still took place in the regular DC universe when Morpheus confronted Destiny.

So the new major gay character is one limited to an alternative universe? Way to go, DC! Way to take a stand!

Click to expand...

The original Alan Scott was also from an alternate universe.

Click to expand...

So? How does that change my point? DC stated an iconic character would be gay. Regardless of where the original Alan Scott came from, he's still 1. Not particularly iconic 2. from an Alternative Earth, not the "Prime Earth."

In other words, it's SAFE for them to do that. It might appear to be "forward" thinking, but, it's really not.

So the new major gay character is one limited to an alternative universe? Way to go, DC! Way to take a stand!

Click to expand...

The original Alan Scott was also from an alternate universe.

Click to expand...

So? How does that change my point? DC stated an iconic character would be gay. Regardless of where the original Alan Scott came from, he's still 1. Not particularly iconic 2. from an Alternative Earth, not the "Prime Earth."

In other words, it's SAFE for them to do that. It might appear to be "forward" thinking, but, it's really not.

Click to expand...

Once again though, DC has a number of gay characters (or had in the old universe). Making a big deal of adding yet another gay character just reeks of a sales grab. They already demonstrated their "forward thinking" ten years ago.

So I've started reading some of these New 52 relaunch titles, and I'm a little confused on how the timeline is working out.

Nightwing #3 opens with a "five years earlier" flashback to when Dick Grayson was still with Haly's Circus (so presumably the events in the flashback occurred before his parents were killed). I'm not seeing how five years is a plausible timeframe in which Bruce could train Dick to be Robin; Dick could shed that identity and become Nightwing; Jason Todd could be trained and be killed; and Tim Drake could both be trained as Robin and then take on the Red Robin identity so that Damian could be Robin.

So the new major gay character is one limited to an alternative universe? Way to go, DC! Way to take a stand!

Click to expand...

The original Alan Scott was also from an alternate universe.

Click to expand...

So? How does that change my point? DC stated an iconic character would be gay. Regardless of where the original Alan Scott came from, he's still 1. Not particularly iconic 2. from an Alternative Earth, not the "Prime Earth."

Click to expand...

I was responding to the main thrust of your argument in the above post: that he was from an alternate universe, but Alan Scott was always an alternate universe idea in the DCU. In the Silver Age he was from Earth-2, in the post-Crisis he was a character folded into the composite Earth and now post-FP he was is back in Earth-2.

Once again though, DC has a number of gay characters (or had in the old universe). Making a big deal of adding yet another gay character just reeks of a sales grab. They already demonstrated their "forward thinking" ten years ago.

Click to expand...

Absolutely. If I was the writer of Batwoman, I would be pissed at DC editorial...

I was responding to the main thrust of your argument in the above post: that he was from an alternate universe, but Alan Scott was always an alternate universe idea in the DCU. In the Silver Age he was from Earth-2, in the post-Crisis he was a character folded into the composite Earth and now post-FP he was is back in Earth-2.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I know. That has very little to do with my argument. Which is: All of this what to do about a gay character, and he's not even a part of the "prime" DC universe. He exists in Earth 2... Not a particularly BOLD statement... THAT'S the thrust of my argument.

If it was Tim Drake, or Booster Gold, or Green Arrow, THEN, all of the hullabaloo might MEAN something. Hell, Batman, that would be Brave AND Bold.

But, a character that is hardly iconic, in an alternative universe that only has 1 book... Come on...

Absolutely. If I was the writer of Batwoman, I would be pissed at DC editorial...

Click to expand...

I agree with most of your points, but I don't get this one. Should writers be pissed off when someone at DC invents yet another heterosexual character? "Crap, Superman being straight was totally MY thing!" Or did you mean that Batwoman's orientation is her key selling point in terms of advertising, which I could see as a problem.

The loss of Secret Six is a big problem here, too: as you're all saying, DC had interesting LGBTQ characters who weren't defined by their orientation, and nixed three of them for no good reason.